|
In November 2007 the Working Party on Biotechnology established a new Task Force on Biomedicine and Health Innovation. It has been developing a Synthesis Report of the main policy messages that emerge from recent OECD work related to innovation and health. This Synthesis Report will be discussed by the Working Party on Biotechnology and completion of the Synthesis Report expected in 2010.
The Task Force focused on five issues which have been at the core of Working Party on Biotechnology: (1) access to knowledge and intellectual property, (2) new business models and the fusion and exchange of knowledge, (3) the governance of new research infrastructures, (4) the demand and take up of health innovations in health systems, (5) the impacts of new technologies on policy. Papers and reports from a variety of OECD sources since 2000 were reviewed and the Synthesis Report contains a review of the main messages that emerge from these documents, an analysis of the gaps in our understanding of the health innovation process, and an annexed summary of all the documents considered.
These messages will be useful information for inclusion into the OECD Innovation Strategy, which was mandated by Ministerial level Council meeting in 2007. As innovation is increasingly acknowledged as the main driver of sustainable growth, productivity, and wealth creation, governments have a strong stake in setting up conditions that encourage it. The Innovation Strategy seeks to identify how the nature of innovation is changing – due to globalisation, the spread of ICTs, improved connectivity and networking, new competitors, new financing and business models, and changing human capital skills and needs – and how policies may need to adapt to meet the opportunities and challenges of today and tomorrow.
The Working Party on Biotechnology sees the OECD Innovation Strategy as an excellent opportunity to synthesize the health-related biotechnology studies and policy recommendations produced over the past several years about how to create an environment that is supportive of health innovation, facilitates access to innovations so that they best serve the public good, and includes a receptive end-market for innovations.
The Synthesis Report will be discussed by the Working Party on Biotechnology and a publication based on this report is expected to be released in 2010.
|
